Feeble offense dooms UMass

Kerri Fleming SPECIAL TO THE TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

Published Thursday December 23, 2010 at 6:00 am

The comeback looked like it was on its way. After a physical, defensive battle, the University of Massachusetts found itself trailing the University of Central Florida by seven points in the last 3-1/2 minutes of last night’s game.

The comeback looked like it was on its way.

After a physical, defensive battle, the University of Massachusetts found itself trailing the University of Central Florida by seven points in the last 3-1/2 minutes of last night’s game.

UMass rode some strong post play in cutting the lead to three with 16 seconds remaining, but the Minutemen’s poor offense came back to haunt them in the 64-59 loss at the Mullins Center, which dropped their record to 7-4.

“That’s a good team,” Massachusetts coach Derek Kellogg said of undefeated and 24th-ranked Central Florida. “They’ve got some good pieces and they found a way to win. I think they’ve done that quite a few times this year. They’re a team that’s figuring out ways to win, which is something that we’re going to have to get in our repertoire.”

With UCF up, 56-49, with 3:22 left, the teams traded visits to the free-throw line and UMass cut the lead to 57-54 with 2:04 remaining. But the Minutemen never came closer.

UMass, which shot 36.1 percent in the second half and just 31.8 percent for the game, continued to struggle in the game’s last minutes. Daryl Traynham, Raphiael Putney and Anthony Gurley each missed open 3-pointers, while UCF guard Marcus Jordan was sent to the foul line twice.

Jordan, son of NBA legend Michael Jordan, hit three of four, bringing the Knights up to 60-54 with 25.3 seconds left.

Gurley kept things interesting by nailing a trey, bringing the lead back to three, but UCF’s strong performance at the free-throw line kept the Minutemen at bay.

“It’s a frustrating loss. We didn’t convert down the stretch,” Gurley said. “This was a very winnable game for us, so we’re disappointed. It’s our fourth straight loss. We’re going through a tough stretch right now, but we’ve got to bounce back.”

The contest did have a number of highlights for the Minutemen, as they put on their best defensive performance against arguably their toughest opponent so far this season. UCF is 11-0, ranked No. 24, and took down then-No. 16 Florida, 57-54, Dec. 1.

However, UCF’s defense also made its mark on UMass. Gurley, who entered the game averaging 20.9 points per game, had just six in the first half (he finished with 17) and no other Minuteman had more than eight points.

“I felt like there was progress. There were spurts where we played very well defensively,” Gurley said. “It’s just a process. We’ve got to put it all together next time.”

UCF was led by Isaac Sosa (14 points) and Keith Clanton (13 points, eight rebounds). Jordan, the team’s second-leading scorer behind Clanton, wasn’t expected to play because of a sprained ankle. After sitting out the first half, however, he entered the game and finished with seven points, including 5-of-6 shooting from the free throw line.

UMass welcomes Boston University to the Mullins Center Dec. 31 at 2 p.m.